The 33-year-old actress was the toast of Tinseltown thanks to her role as Queen Elizabeth II on the Netflix drama, winning Golden Globes and Baftas, but in her personal life, Claire was coping with the news that her husband, and the father of her daughter, would be going through a life-changing operation.

The two attend the 2011 BIFAs (Picture: Wireimage)

Stephen, also an actor, was diagnosed with the benign tumour on his pituitary gland, at the base of the brain, at the end of 2016 when Claire was filming the second season with Matt Smith, and underwent surgery.

The pair (left and centre) met on the set of Season Of The Witch (Picture: Wireimage)

Of the split, a close friend told The Sun: ‘After seven years together this came as a real shock to many of their friends, but they’re lovely people and are determined to keep everything civilised.

Advertisement

Advertisement

‘They’ve just decided that unfortunately their relationship simply wasn’t working and that this would be for the best.’